A Jury of Her Peers

In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, I think that the sheriffs’ wife, Mrs. Peters, had a hard time being herself and following her instincts because she is married to the sheriff and therefore ‘the law’. In this book, there is a strong sense of male dominance, and I feel like not only Mrs. Wright felt this, but also Mrs. Peters. The men usually laughed at what the women thought, so when they found evidence they decided not to share it with the men. Mrs. Peters understood what Mrs. Wright was going through because she mentioned how she knows what stillness is, which is what they believe Mrs. Wright was experiencing. (99). The problem is that she knows about this stillness but then immediately following she reminds Mrs. Hale of the law and how they must obey it. I think Mrs. Peters feels trapped by her marriage with the sheriff. It is one thing to feel stillness in a relationship. It is another when she is constantly reminded that she must act a certain way because it is right by the law and her husband. They did not share the information because they are sympathetic to Mrs. Wright, in the sense that they understand the feeling of stillness. Mrs. Wright had hope with this animal, but when her husband took that hope away is when she had nothing to lose. I think that Mrs. Peters went against the law and with held information against her husband not only because he wouldn’t believe the women’s theories, but to stand up to him and be herself, and also to support Mrs. Wright because they understand her situation.